using super glue as a filler?

[smutz]

Hi guys, any tips on using superglue as a filler as I've never used cyno to fill I've got two types medium & a gel type

locktite in a tube. The area I'm filling is small but I want to use cyno to add strenght to it as its a cabane strut on my

F3F-1.

Thanks Andy.

[Phantom ordie]

After you apply cyno add a little baking soda. It will flash dry it. Only thing is its very hard to sand, It dries hard as a rock.

[I.Illes]

What works really well is PVA (white) glue. You can wipe off excess with a damp cloth before it dries, it dries hard but is easy to sand. The problem with sanding CA is that the glue itself dries harder than the surrounding plastic, which will make the plastic disappear long before there is a little scratch in the CA. Plus CA lacks the elasticity of PVA (minimal, but very useful, similar to the kit plastic).

István

[thegoodsgt]

The best advice I can offer is to sand the superglue within 30-60 minutes after applying it, otherwise it will become very hard and you'll experience the issue that István mentions.

Here's a very helpful discussion that I captured some time ago.

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....showtopic=31832

[T-bone]

Sometimes I add microballoons to the gap prior to adding the CA. This helps fill the void and makes sanding easier. I get mine at the local HobbyTown but any good RC store should have it as well as online.

Edited September 19, 2008 by T-bone

[The 3rd Placer]

After you apply cyno add a little baking soda. It will flash dry it. Only thing is its very hard to sand, It dries hard as a rock.

I wouldn't go this route...the super glue chemically reacts with the soda, and over time the seam will weap a smelly oily brown liquid.

The goo will eventually bleed right through your paint job.

Been there, done that.

Ryan

[Jamie Cheslo]

I find CA glue very effective for filling small gaps and for making those nasty seams disappear. Just don't wait more than a couple of hours after applying to sand. After a day, it will be very hard.

[terryt]

Mix super glue with talcum powder before applying, make a paste and fill the gap. The mixture can be easily sanded, it doesn't get super hard. Baking soda and baking powder mixed with Cyno will ooze an oil after awhile.

[Rob_Owens]

Mix super glue with talcum powder before applying, make a paste and fill the gap. The mixture can be easily sanded, it doesn't get super hard. Baking soda and baking powder mixed with Cyno will ooze an oil after awhile.

Yep, Terry's got it. Use medium viscosity CA dropped into a pile of talc (I do it on a vinyl lid from crisp/coffee can). Mix to the consistency of slightly runny toothpaste, & apply. It can be sanded in as little as 15 min., and it doesn't get harder if you wait 15 days. It also doesn't shrink, so don't overapply it. It works on resin as well as plastic, and you don't have to back it with anything for large gaps. Auto modelers have been using it for years to do major recontouring on "custom" cars.

[MoFo]

I will echo the DO NOT USE BAKING SODA comments. It'll wreck your model.

Microballoons and talc are handy, but since we're talking cabane struts, might be overkill - they're more useful for building up large areas. If you want something that will harden your CA instantaneously, use proper Superglue Accelerator - it's a liquid that will cure it chemically, on contact. Though it also reduces the amount of time before your glue gets hard as a rock, so you'll want to sand ASAP. Should be available at any hobby shop, along with the different viscosities of glue.

My suggestion? Use the basic idea from this: http://s205409446.onlinehome.us/tnt1/001-1...ding/tnt029.htm

Fill with CA. Let it harden. Moisten your Q-tip with Superglue De-Bonder instead of acetone, then wipe off the excess. Works just the same as the normal 'filling without sanding' technique, you're just substituting a different filler and solvent. *Excellent* in tight quarters or around delicate surface detail where sanding would be difficult. Again, it's readily available at any hobby shop (really, anywhere that sells CA should have the de-bonder), and it has the added benefit of working no matter how hard the glue is - come back a year later and you can still scrub off the excess.

My standard technique is to fill with CA, remove the excess with de-bonder, then go over the seams with a little Mr. Surfacer 500 to fill in any tiny gaps and get a perfectly feathered edge. CA, accelerator and de-bonder in about five minutes, glom on some surfacer and let it dry overnight, then another five minutes the next day lightly sand it out.

[Old Man]

The gel form of CA glue makes an excellent filler: I use it for just about everything.

I feed it in on the tip of a toothpick, and before it dries, remove as much of the excess as I can by wiping along the filled area, with the edge of an old No. 10 curved blade usually. Taking stuff off as it is drying will save much effort later.

Once it has dried, I do most of the clean-uo with a No. 10 blade rather than a sanding implement. Push this across the area, as near to flat with the surface as you can manage, cutting the glue off the surface in flakes. Then scrape it along the the filled area. You will be able to tell when you are down to plastic; the CA has a sort of dark shine. Needle files are better for abrasive removal, if necessary, than sand-paper of any sort, because the rigid file surface is unaffected by the difference in hardness between dried CA and the plastic, and will hit the raised CA without 'bending' and affecting nearby plastic.

If you hit the area with accelerator, you will have a moment or two still to work before the curing is complete, in which the glue, while solid, is soft as plastic, and very readily cut and filed, or even sanded.

For filling at strut joints, feed tiny bits in on the tip of a tooth-pick or needle, and shape down with the back of a No. 11 Exacto blade, moving parallel to the length of the strut, and then to the surface of the fuselage or wing. The area just behind the point of a toothpick is also a good backing and smoothing tool here. For dried excess, it is better to cut then sand. Press the edge of a blade parallel to the surface of the strut towards the wing or fuselage, and get a good cut in, then move the blade along the surface of the wing or fuselage. The glue will flake off at the cut, and you do not put the joint itself at too much risk of being cut into or through.

[Old Man]

Fill with CA. Let it harden. Moisten your Q-tip with Superglue De-Bonder instead of acetone, then wipe off the excess. Works just the same as the normal 'filling without sanding' technique, you're just substituting a different filler and solvent. *Excellent* in tight quarters or around delicate surface detail where sanding would be difficult. Again, it's readily available at any hobby shop (really, anywhere that sells CA should have the de-bonder), and it has the added benefit of working no matter how hard the glue is - come back a year later and you can still scrub off the excess.

My standard technique is to fill with CA, remove the excess with de-bonder, then go over the seams with a little Mr. Surfacer 500 to fill in any tiny gaps and get a perfectly feathered edge. CA, accelerator and de-bonder in about five minutes, glom on some surfacer and let it dry overnight, then another five minutes the next day lightly sand it out.

This sounds like an excellent technique, Sir!

I have heard of de-bonder, but never employed it. I am definitely going to look into it the next time I am at my local hobby shop, where I believe I have seen the stuff.

[iflabs]

I will echo the DO NOT USE BAKING SODA comments. It'll wreck your model.

Microballoons and talc are handy, but since we're talking cabane struts, might be overkill - they're more useful for building up large areas. If you want something that will harden your CA instantaneously, use proper Superglue Accelerator - it's a liquid that will cure it chemically, on contact. Though it also reduces the amount of time before your glue gets hard as a rock, so you'll want to sand ASAP. Should be available at any hobby shop, along with the different viscosities of glue.

My suggestion? Use the basic idea from this: http://s205409446.onlinehome.us/tnt1/001-1...ding/tnt029.htm

Fill with CA. Let it harden. Moisten your Q-tip with Superglue De-Bonder instead of acetone, then wipe off the excess. Works just the same as the normal 'filling without sanding' technique, you're just substituting a different filler and solvent. *Excellent* in tight quarters or around delicate surface detail where sanding would be difficult. Again, it's readily available at any hobby shop (really, anywhere that sells CA should have the de-bonder), and it has the added benefit of working no matter how hard the glue is - come back a year later and you can still scrub off the excess.

My standard technique is to fill with CA, remove the excess with de-bonder, then go over the seams with a little Mr. Surfacer 500 to fill in any tiny gaps and get a perfectly feathered edge. CA, accelerator and de-bonder in about five minutes, glom on some surfacer and let it dry overnight, then another five minutes the next day lightly sand it out.

Looks like one of the best techniques I've heard so far. Anyone else want to chive in with experience?

[graves_09]

I tried the white glue technique over the weekend to fill in a crack between the wings. i just spread some on with my finger and then whipped the excess off with my other finger. it filled the seam effortlessly and was easy to clean up. plus cheap non-toxic and you don't have to worry about sticking you fingers together.

[Jamie Cheslo]

I tried the white glue technique over the weekend to fill in a crack between the wings. i just spread some on with my finger and then whipped the excess off with my other finger. it filled the seam effortlessly and was easy to clean up. plus cheap non-toxic and you don't have to worry about sticking you fingers together.

Yes, white glue works quite well, you just need to be aware of shrinkage!

Seriously, you probably will have to go back a couple of times and refill, as white glue does shrink when it dries.

[nerdling]

Yes, white glue works quite well, you just need to be aware of shrinkage! ;)

Seriously, you probably will have to go back a couple of times and refill, as white glue does shrink when it dries.

So would white glue work as a seam filler also? Kind of like Mr. Surfacer would. I've never used it and can't seem to find it around my town.

[Jamie Cheslo]

So would white glue work as a seam filler also? Kind of like Mr. Surfacer would. I've never used it and can't seem to find it around my town.

I see no reason why it would not work. You will just need to remember that as it dries, it will shrink, so you will have to go back and fill again until your seam is gone and the shrinkage is no longer an issue. Hope this helps.

[illithid00]

Try using some gel-type CA, wait for it to cure up a bit, then sand. I've never had a problem with "over-curing" or anything like that, but I've never used accelerator.

[FAR148]

I love using super glue and baby podwer as a filler/putty. First it's cheap! second it's cure hard and it scribes just as well as plastic. It's great stuff to use when one does some scratchbuilding.

I use a lot of it on my IAF A-10.

For more look here.... http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....howtopic=131657

Steven L :P

Edited October 3, 2008 by FAR148

[amflores]

Depending on the gap, I use PVA or slow setting ARALDITE.

Visit: http://www.huntsman.com/advanced_materials...cfm?pageID=5905

Araldite for wider gaps, and PVA for thinner ones.

Flores